Tammy, I hope others pipe in on this thread. I've heard of that language from others who have written in about their MRI's.

Wow I was sent out of state to a neuro for 2nd opinion and they told me I did not have MS because places on my brain were not in the right spots for MS.I wrote a letter to my local neuro and told him I think I have MS.Saw him for f/up after 3 days of hell end of Aug and he said too early for another MRI, come back in 3 months, and at this point he shook his head and said he did not know what was wrong with me.He has told me since June he is concerned about my Highly abnormal head/brain MRI , with and w/o contrast and the amount of "white matter" on my brain. Ellen

PS-lchopel-I plan to write more to you later, after I dig out reports!!!!-Ellen

I've also been told my MRI did not confirm MRI and suggest an LP of the spine. But all my drs say MS and treat me accordingly....??? oh well, my symptoms all point to MS and I'm glad I'm getting the treatment b/e it does seem to improve my symptoms.

A.

MY HUGE fear is that a year from now I will be DX with MS and will have missed a year of TX to slow progression.One of my friends on DS- told me last week that a year ago she was where I am-in limbo land and now she has MS and is reciving meds.Do docs think we like feelling bad???I gave my doc a 3 page-no kidding 3 page lsit of symptoms that have come into my body and he did not read them-said he wd put in my file.-Ellen After a wkwnd of old and strange new symptoms for 3 days I wrote him a letter and mailed to his office regrding-what is happening to my body, my mind (have to write lists every day) taht got me back for f/up-he said too erly for another head/brqain MRI, he would see me in 3 months. and he did not know what was wrong with me-Ellen

Ellen, are you seeing a MS specialist? If not, I would see one. Yours doesn't sound worth a hoot. My MRI was a classic text book case so my dx was not a problem. But for others it is more difficult. Clinical results would confirm it. Gosh, I have seen people who haven't been diagnosed and they have the MS walk. What more does it take for the doctor to figure it out?

mmthlvr, I haven't heard of lesions when they aren't MS. But what do I know? I would think that a MS specialist could figure it out. Call the MS Society and get a list in your area of a specialist. You need definite answers.

Good luck.

Thanks for your replys. I had an MRI in '08, 2 lesions, no diag. I pushed & saw 5 diff Dr's in 2 yrs & finally got my diag & started on Copaxone. From what I've read on the reports, those 2yrs without treatment added 8 more lesions. Since starting Copaxone in '10 till now, no new lesions.

I'm sticking with my MS diag & staying on Copaxone. The truth is, when it comes to MS, there is nothing classic about it. Hope everyone has a great week.
Hugs
Tammy

Tammy,
A MRI is only as good as the person reading or interpertating them. I've had 5 since 97. The first took 6 weeks to get the 2nd only 2 days. My first 2 I had 3 lesions the 3rd I had I had 5 the 4th 8 and the 5th 40 plus a Dawsons Finger and the last 3 were only 2 years apart. I've never had a lesion light up and all but the 1rst were with and without contrast. I was told after my 1rst 2 that I had MS by my PCP but was told by my Neuro that he was wrong even though the MRI said I had MS. I've had 3 that had said I had MS but the 4 neuro's all said something different than the guy reading the MRI's except for the Neuro I have now that is a MS specialist and I have all my MRI's and when he read the first 2 he said I had MS back in 97 and that had I been started on treatment even the 2 years before I would probally would have had another 10 good years. All my Spinal Taps I was told were neg. My Neuro said that the last one the neuro said was neg. was wrong and that there were some bands that were elevated and he was wrong.

So it is a process where I think everyone thinks they are smarter than the last. The first 2 were blamed on a Stroke starting at age 35, than smoking, which I had'nt smoked in over 10 years, than Vasculitis than less than 4 months later MS, but that DX was by a MS specialist and after I got my DX my PCP told me he has known for years I had MS but policy prevented him from telling me until I got a DX from a Neuro. So I do think these are some good reasons to insist on seeing a Neuro who is a MS specialist and just so you know my Neuro also is the medical director at a MS research center, but that is besides the point as he is a specialist in MS. He also does a lot of lectures on MS. What I did before my appt. with him was to google every term used in my MRI, just so I would be prepared to ask questions. That is when I learned that a Dawsons Finger will never show up in a disease that mimics MS and was ready to confront him, but it took only 15 minutes to get my DX after all these years.

I went to my MS group meeting Sat. and brought up 2 of the Neuro's who said no to MS and was told they were the worst Neuros in the area and if the one did'nt even know what a Dawsons Finger was he should probally become just a family doc if he could'nt connect the dots with that info.

So I've lost 10 good years of life, am I mad? no, just Pi**ed at the incompentence of them.

Just so you do know about lesion count the number means nothing, having 40 seems scary and it is but the most important one is the Dawsons Finger. There are people with one or two who are bedridden and there are Ms'ers with to many to count who still work get around fine and hardly have any symptoms, it is like Real estate and Location is everything.

I do helps you and and the kind of neuro you need to find. I also have a friend who has had MS for 20 years and just found out it is Lyme, because he paid the close to $300 for the proper blood test that was not cover'd by insurance, but he is also in Canada.

MS is a horrible disease and I just talked to a past coworker this weekend who I've not seen in years and when he was describing his wife's symptoms and the Fatigue and pins and needles and eyesight problems and urinary problems and how she was so disabled I said to him I'm sorry to hear that your wife has MS also and he looked at me and said, whoa hold it right there she don't have MS she has Fibro, I felt pretty stupid and said I was sorrry and he said tell me more as he said he noticed my problems walking and said MS was never even talked about but she had the walking problems also, and was now going to look into it.
Sorry this turned into a novel but it goes to show how different neuros look at things. I pray its not MS, but keep looking into the different DX's and once again so sorry so long
Take Care
Dave

mmthlvr...I too have leisons, Dawson fingers, and demylenation. I don't even ask questions anymore. I accept fact I have MS and don't try to break the terms down, not worth the stress. Good luck.

Sad thing is he says he has large majority of patients who have MS.That is why he said he sent me out of state for second opinion before starting expensive meds.He is nice and is part of my HMO- the only one here.I have tried to enlist help of my GP and she has requested neuro She mentioned MS to me years ago and then my late father was extremly ill and I was in and out of state.Aftr he passed, I knew I had to focus on my health.Problem is like I sadid on other threads,I PASSED the evoked response eye test and spinal tap said 2 of the O bands, and out of state neuro said no lesions on Neck/Spine MRI and tht I need PT?? and rheumatologi?? Dr out of state did admit neck/spine could not explain facial numbness at times-chin, lips, the tingles in face and my scalp thaqt maakes my hair bangs and ends of hair twitch.I have wri9tten this same boring info about me on other threads and I am sorry-just trying at this point to tell others my experiences- since neuro has no clue what is wrong w me.Ellen